President Biden delivers remarks on the U.S. response to recent aerial objects
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(ABC News) – President Joe Biden is expected to deliver remarks on Thursday about the country’s “response” to four aerial objects that have been shot down in recent weeks, according to the White House.
Biden has faced growing pressure from Republicans and Democrats to address the nation on the suspected Chinese spy balloon and the three other unidentified objects that were shot down in North American airspace beginning earlier this month.
His remarks on Thursday will be the first time he’s extensively commented on the issue.
According to the White House, Biden will address “the United States’ response to recent aerial objects” in a speech from the South Court Auditorium.
The balloon that traversed the continental U.S. between Jan. 28 and Feb. 4 added tension to the already fraught U.S.-China relationship. Biden was criticized by Republicans for not taking action to shoot the balloon down earlier, though he said he ordered it be taken down as soon as possible but his military advisers said it was too risky to do over land.
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Since then, three unidentified aerial objects were downed by the U.S. military over three successive days — one over Alaska, one over Canada and the third over Lake Huron in Michigan.
RELATED: US defends decision to shoot down 3 unidentified objects
The administration has yet to confirm what those objects were or where they came from, though White House spokesperson John Kirby said earlier this week a “leading explanation” within the intelligence community is that the objects may have been for commercial or benign use.